chapter 03

Question 1

strafend

Answer 1

punitive adj.

(inclined to blame, insisting on punishment)

Beispiel:
My teachers had a very punitive attitude, many times we were kept in during playtime even for such minor offenses as talking in class.

Question 2

geistreich

Answer 2

ingenious adj.

(clever, with original and surprising ideas)

Beispiel:
Her ingenious solution to the problem surprised and delighted everyone.

Question 3

kurzgefasst

Answer 3

concise adj.

(brief and direct )

Beispiel:
Keep your instructions concise please, we don’t have much time.

Question 4

fesselnd

Answer 4

compelling adj.

(forceful, demanding attention )

Beispiel:
Her arguments were so compelling that everyone in the room ended up agreeing with him.

Question 5

launisch

Answer 5

fickle adj.

(changing in character, inconstant)

Beispiel:
She’s so fickle, one day she says “I love you” and the next day she doesn’t return your phone calls.

Question 6

klar

Answer 6

lucid adj.

(clear, easily understandable)

Beispiel:
Her essay was so lucid that I only had to read it once to understand what she was trying to say.

Question 7

überflüssig

Answer 7

redundant adj.

unnecessary, useless, unemployed
Beispiel:
Now that we have central heating, that old oil stove is redundant.

Question 8

erreichbar

Answer 8

accessible adj.

(obtainable, reachable)

Beispiel:
This town isn’t easily accessible, there’s no airport or train station nearby.

Question 9

ruhig, still

Answer 9

tranquil (adj.) [ˈtræŋkwɪl]

(calm, peaceful)

Beispiel:
At this time of night nothing moves and everything is tranquil.

Question 10

mutabel, variabel

Answer 10

mutable (adj.) [ˈmjuːtəbl̩]

(able to change)

Beispiel:
Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.

Question 11

geizig, sparsam

Answer 11

parsimonious (adj.) [ˌpɑːsɪˈməʊnɪəs]

(very careful and modest in the use of resources or the spending of money)

Beispiel:
Buddhist monks are expected to lead very parsimonious lives.

Question 12

vertretbar, haltbar

Answer 12

tenable (adj.) [ˈtenəbl̩]

(possible to defend or maintain)

Beispiel:
His arguments are tenable; I’m inclined to believe what he says.

Question 13

lästig, mühsam, schwer

Answer 13

onerous (adj.) [ˈɒnərəs]

(heavy and hard to bear (usually referring to a duty))

Beispiel:
He resigned his position as an ambassador; he found the endless round of parties and dinners rather onerous.

Question 14

undeutlich, unartikuliert

Answer 14

inarticulate (adj.) [ˌɪnɑːˈtɪkjʊlət]

(unable to express oneself clearly through speech)

Beispiel:
I hate listening to interviews with footballers; they’re usually so inarticulate.

Question 15

flüchtig, nachlässig, oberflächlich

Answer 15

perfunctory (adj.) [pəˈfʌŋktəri]

(paying little attention, with very little enthusiasm)

Beispiel:
He did apologize to us but in such a perfunctory way that he might as well not have said anything.

Question 16

abwertend, abschätzig

Answer 16

pejorative (adj.) [pɪˈdʒɒrətɪv]

(negative, critical, not complimentary)

Beispiel:
In the 18th century the word “actress” was generally used in a pejorative sense.

Question 17

ruhig, heiter, gelassen

Answer 17

serene (adj.) [sɪˈriːn]

(calm, untroubled)

Beispiel:
Louise stood in front of the Mona Lisa, puzzling over the famous woman’s serene smile.

Question 18

nützlich, zweckmäßig

Answer 18

utilitarian (adj.) [ju:ˌtɪlɪˈteərɪən]

(aiming at usefulness rather than beauty)

Beispiel:
Our hotel rooms were strictly utilitarian, with no ornaments or decoration.

Question 19

karg, knapp, knauserig (ugs.)

Answer 19

stingy (adj.) [ˈstɪndʒi]

(not generous, mean, unwilling to spend or give)

Beispiel:
He’s so stingy; he never gives anyone any Christmas presents.

Question 20

einleuchtend

Answer 20

plausible (adj.) [ˈplɔːzəbl̩]

(easy to believe, reasonable (but usually incorrect))

Beispiel:
His explanation was very plausible, but it turned out in the end that he was lying as usual.

Question 21

gemäßigt

Answer 21

moderate (adj.) [ˈmɒdəreɪt]

(reasonable, not extreme)

Beispiel:
I think of myself as a moderate in politics, but this year I’m going to vote Socialist.

Question 22

voll von

Answer 22

rife (adj.) [raɪf]

(abundant, full of (something undesirable))

Beispiel:
The students’ essays were rife with errors in grammar and spelling.

Question 23

angeblich, scheinbar

Answer 23

ostensible (adj.) [ɒˈstensəbl̩]

(appearing to be, seemingly)

Beispiel:
Jack’s ostensible reason for driving to Phoenix was that he couldn’t afford the plane fare, but in fact he’s afraid of flying.